Method of repairing levee breaks.



, 0. DE MEYER. METHOD OF REPAIRING LEVEE BREAKS.

APPLICATIONFILED MAY 2. X917.

L%5%?1?w Patented Jan. 29,1918.

lUNliTlFilU @AF AT CAMIEL DE MEYER, F BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD OF REPAIRING LEVEE BREAKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 29, 1918.

Application filed May 2, 1917. Serial No. 165,965.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GAMIEL DE MnYER, a citizen of the United States, residmg at Blythe, in the county of Riverside and State the bank, as well as the dirt which might be used to repair the break, it is the principal object of this invention to provide a method of repairing levee breaks which will prevent the erosion of the bank during the repairing operation and which will provide satisfactory means for permanently filling the break without diliiculty.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of repairing levee breaks which is simple and inexpensive and which will permit the apparatus utilized to be withdrawn after the repairing has been madcand re-used, when desired.

It is the further object of this invention to provide a method of producing the above results which is simple and may be easily employed without expensive special equipment.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

Theinvention illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective illustrating the levee bank and a break thereth r on gh.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective illustrating a broken levee bank and disclosing the first step in the operation of repairing this break.

Fig. 3 is a view in plan disclosing the second step in the operation of repairing the break.

Fig. 4 is a View in section as seen on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and discloses the correlation of the elements of the apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4% disclosing the break as closed.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, indicates a levee bank through which a break 11 has been formed and which it is the object of this invention to repair. 12 indicates a piece of canvas which is spread over the break in the levee and overlaps it along the top of the levee, as well as along the inner face. This canvas is formed with a series of eyelets 13 through which stakes 14 are positioned and thereafter driven. into the soil. In this manner the canvas will be held over and around the i F break and will thereof.

A series of stakes 15 are provided and driven along the top of the bank. These stakes support a rope 16 which, as particu: larly shown in Fig. 3, extends across and prevent further erosion above the break in the bank and the canvas 12. A support cable 17 is fastened to stakes 18 driven into the floor of the ditch formed by the bank and will cause the cable 17 to lie substantially parallel to the rope 16. A series of side boards 19 are detachably secured by hooks 20 to the rope 16 and their outer ends adapted to rest upon the cable 17. It will be understood that these boards are positioned side by side and that they are initially supported above the surface of the water. After the boards have been mounted in their suported positions along the rope 16 and the cable 17 and across the break in the levee, the cable 17 is withdrawn from beneath the free ends of the boards and thev are permitted to fall down and assume an angular position corresponding to the an gle of the face of the levee, as particularly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

After this has been done, a piece of can vas 21 is spread over the boards and caused to extend downwardly a distance along the floor of the ditch. Dirt is then filled in against the canvas and the canvas lining 12 is removed. The break in the levee may then be filled without danger of water washing the sides of the break away and the boards 19 and canvas 21 may then be removed. This permits the levee to be filled without discontinuing the flow of water therealong and insures that the bank will be restored to its original condition without great possibility of again washing out.

It will thus be seen that the method here disclosed is simple and requires an apparatus of inexpensive and common construction.

While I have shown the preferred form of my method of repairing levee banks as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without de parting from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A method of repairing breaks in levee banks, consisting of first putting a sheet of mm. v.

canvas over the break in the bank, after which it is pinned down by suitable stakes, then placing a retaining wall along the bank and extending upwardly in a manner to form a continuation of the face of the levee and cross the break therein, then placing a canvas strip over the wall and covering the strip with dirt to exclude the water from the break, after which the break is 'h'lled and the strip and wall removed.

2. A method of repairing breaks in levees, consisting in covering the break with a sheet of canvas formed with eyelets by which it may be pinned to the ground, after which stakes are driven through the eyelets to hold the canvasin place, then a pair of cables are stretched, one along the top of the levee and another parallel thereto, a series of boards are then temporarily fastened to the cables extending along the bank and their opposite end supported by the parallel cable, then the supporting cable is removed to permit the boards to fall downwardly and form a retaining wall along the break, after which a piece of canvas is placed to cover the wall thus formed, then dirt is filled in upon the canvas and against the wall and in the rear thereof, and thereaftei. the canvas and boards are removed.

3. A method of repairing breaks in levees consisting in first covering the break with a sheet of canvas formed with eyelets around its edges, then staking the canvas to the ground through the eyelets, after which a pair of cables are stretched across the break, one of the cables being along the top of the levee and the other one spaced at distance therefrom and along the inner tare thereof, then stringing a series of boards by means oi? hooks to the first-named (able and supporting their opposite ends by the second cabh above the break and the length thereof, then withdrawing the second-named cable from beneath the boards and permitting them to fall simultaneously along the side of the bank and across the break, then spreading a second piece of canvas over the boards, then filling in against the canvas and boards with dirt, next filling in the break with dirt, and then withdrawing the boards and canvas.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CAMIEL Dl l MEYER Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

